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The United Nations (UN) held a panel discussing the impact of climate change on the disabled community, noting that the long-term effects are often overlooked. Disability advocates have been leading the fight to get the UN to recognize the specific challenges faced by disabled people during climate events, such as access to medication and health care, and issues with leaving their homes safely. Despite a resolution passed by the UN Human Rights Council in 2019 calling for climate policies that address the needs of disabled people, a 2022 report found that only 45 signatories to the Paris Agreement explicitly mentioned disabled people in their climate policies.
UN Discusses Climate Change Impact on Disabled Community Ahead of International Day of People with Disabilities
Image source: Farah Abdi Warsameh/AP
Earlier this week, the United Nations hosted a panel discussing the overlooked but urgent impact of climate change on the disabled community, in preparation for the International Day of People with Disabilities on December 3. The United Nations Youth Office moderator noted that the long-term consequences of climate change on persons with disabilities are typically underestimated and unaddressed.
Disability advocates have been forefront in pushing for UN recognition of how climate change affects disabled people. Numerous advocates shared their experiences at the previous year’s COP27 climate summit, highlighting the harm caused by heatwaves, floods, and other extreme weather events. They spoke on the particular struggles for disabled people such as obtaining medication, accessing healthcare, or even leaving their homes safely when infrastructure fails following climatic events. As per the World Health Organization, around one in six people lives with a disability.
Marcie Roth, the executive director of the World Institute on Disability, who is dealing with Long Covid, highlighted at the panel that people with disabilities are often forgotten, leading to catastrophic consequences. Roth cited the lack of disability-inclusive climate disaster strategies in many communities, leading to disproportionate impacts, especially for those with less apparent disabilities.
Though the UN Human Rights Council did pass a resolution in 2019 urging member states to factor in the needs of disabled people when forming climate policies, compliance has been poor. A 2022 report by McGill University and the International Disability Alliance revealed that only 45 state signatories of the Paris Agreement acknowledged disabled people in their climate policies.
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